Saigon

Considering it has taken Saigon some five years to release his proper major-label debut, the fact that he and respected N.Y.C. DJ Statik Selektah were able to cut an entire album in a single day is an achievement. The results are also fairly amazing. Saigon has occasionally taken himself a bit too seriously, so loose, playful cuts "So Cruel" and "My Crew" are immediately refreshing. "The Rules" and "Prepare for War" show that Statik has boom-bap formalism down to a science, and the production's sparseness and obtainable "soul" are a good fit for Saigon.